Rotarian Vincent Chiravalle presents a Distinguished Student of Service award toLAHS student Aditya Viswanathan, on behalf of the Rotary Club of Los Alamos as his parents, Hari Viswanathan and Gowri Srinivasan, share the moment, September 22, at the United Church of Los Alamos. Photo by Kurt Schoenberg.

BY VINCENT CHIRAVALLE
Rotary Club of Los Alamos

The motto of Rotary is Service Above Self. To support this motto in each academic year, the Rotary Club of Los Alamoshonors “Distinguished Students of Service” in their junior year of high school. Students are first nominated by their teachers who are asked to select those who:

 Have given positive contributions to their high school and/or in the community;
 Have a good attitude toward learning;
 Are good citizens, are respectful of their peers and teachers; and
 Have good grades, attendance and classroom participation.

The Club then selects students based on demonstrated spirit of service and exemplification of the Rotary 4 Way Test:

 Is it the truth?
 Is it fair to all concerned?
 Will it build good will and better friendships?
 Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

On September 22, the Rotary Club of Los Alamos presented Aditya Viswanathan, a Los Alamos High School student with a Distinguished Student of Service award. Aditya is indeed one who has made service part of his life and he is a very well-rounded student. Aditya is a captain on the Varsity Tennis team and State Champion in doubles. Aditya is also an accomplished musician, who was part of All-State Orchestra, top selection, for freshman, sophomore and junior year, as well as being First Chair Violist at All-State.

In addition to these activities, Aditya organized a holiday food drive in 2025 engaging student in three sections of AP Government, collected food staples for Los Alamos County’s ‘I Can Help’ program, and as a freshman founded the PEEC Nature Youth Group, where he led projects focused on trail maintenance, wildfire preparedness and certifying Los Alamos as a National Wildlife Federation Community Backyard Habitat.

Aditya shared with the Club one of the challenges facing today’s youth; namely food insecurity and its effects on young people including their health, stress levels, and ability to focus in school. In his essay Aditya describes how he organized a holiday food drive through all three sections of AP Government classes at Los Alamos High School to support Los
Alamos County’s ‘I Can Help’ program:

“Food insecurity became especially important to me in November 2025, during the federal government shutdown, when I was following the problems surrounding SNAP funding and food insecurity in New Mexico. New Mexico is especially dependent on SNAP benefits, with 21.2% of residents receiving them, and many families rely on those programs to meet basic needs. I organized a holiday food drive that was successful, and we collected a large amount of food for families in need, including staples such as pasta, peanut butter, canned vegetables, and soup. In the future, I hope to continue addressing food insecurity by organizing similar efforts, building partnerships with local programs, and encouraging other students to get involved. To me community service is not just about helping in a single moment. It is about taking responsibility, showing leadership, and using what I learn to a make a lasting difference in the lives of others,” he said.

The Rotary Club of Los Alamos feels that this is a very worthy effort and commends Aditya for his service to the youth in Los Alamos.

When receiving the award Aditya was joined by his parents Hari Viswanathan and Gowri Srinivasan. LAHS teacher Jon Frost nominated him for the award and Rotarian Vincent Chiravalle conducted the award ceremony.